Issuu

Time to look great!

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 7 | FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 2, 2016

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT Gainesville’s A.J. Styles crafts a path to WWE stardom | Pg. 7

Don’t Believe the Hype | Pg. 4 As the March to Macon concludes, the unpredictable commences

Shipbuilding | Pg. 9 McIntosh survives second round classic with Gainesville to keep championship dream alive

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Vol. 12 Iss. 7 | Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2016

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons, GA Tech) Kyle Sandy (GSU, Kennesaw, Hawks, GHSA) STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews Ned Kaish

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TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 11 12

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF TY FREEMAN, GWINNETT DAILY POST AND WWE CORP

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SANDY’S SPIEL

CHIEFS ADVANCE IN 5A PLAYOFF CLASSIC

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

n front of a sellout crowd at home, No. 3 McIadvance Intosh survived No. 6 Gainesville 87-84 to to the Elite Eight for the first time in

school history as a program-changing senior class played its final game at The Tosh. Even with the electricity in the air, an imposing obstacle stood in McIntosh’s way in the form of the D’Marcus Simonds-led Gainesville Red Elephants. Simonds, a Georgia State signee, and the rest of Hall County’s finest came out firing. The break-neck pace resulted in Dishon Lowery picking up his second foul just seconds after throwing down a vicious one-handed slam on Bailey Minor. Gainesville held a 19-8 lead late in the first thanks to three three-pointers – two from Harry Oliver – but Will Washington sparked

a 4-0 run to end the quarter trailing 19-12. Washington, Jordan Lyons and Kellum combined to score 23 of McIntosh’s 25 points in the quarter as the Chiefs entered the half down 46-37 after Simonds pumped in nine points in the quarter while the Red Elephants drilled six threes in the opening 16 minutes. The Chiefs opened with a quick 4-0 spurt sparked by Washington’s theft of Simonds near midcourt, closing the lead to 46-41. After the two teams exchanged buckets, Coach Benjie Wood called for timeout while the home crowd roared in full throat. Washington netted six points in the first four minutes to draw McIntosh within striking distance before it was Lyons’ turn to swoop in for two quick acrobatic finishes to give the

SANDY’S SPIEL 2

A LOOK AT GEORGIA’S HIGHEST THREE CLASSES BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he biggest upset of the tournament came T via four-seed Grayson (22-7) stunning defending state champion Wheeler 59-58

on three free throws from Austin Dukes with three seconds left. Dukes did it again in round two, beating Lee County with a hoop with 1.1 seconds remaining. Grayson gets No. 8 Newton (25-4) in a battle of Rams. Freshman Ashton Hagans has orchestrated the offense alongside JD Notae and Jaquan Simms. No. 6 Shiloh (23-5) has won eight in a row since losing three of four. The Generals draw No. 2 Westlake (24-4) who boasts top juniors Chuma Okeke and Michael Durr while Jamie and Danny Lewis are dangerous outside. They ousted No. 3 Norcross in the Sweet 16, 61-50. Milton (22-8) plays Campbell (21-8) in a two vs. three game. The state’s highest scoring guard combo of Auburn signee Jared Harper

and Collin Sexton of No. 7 Pebblebrook (21-9) deals with a blend of youth and experience in No. 5 McEachern (26-3). The bottom portion of the girls bracket was a brutal draw as eight top ten teams played each other. The survivors were No. 3 McEachern (22-7), the two-time defending state champions and No. 10 Westlake (25-5). McEachern drilled No. 2 Archer 87-49 while the Lions escaped No. 1 Norcross 39-37. No. 7 Parkview (23-7) sees No. 6 Douglas County (27-1) after they beat No. 8 Harrison and No. 4 Collins Hill respectively. No. 9 Woodstock (26-3) makes its first quarterfinals appearance as they meet No. 5 Tucker (25-4). On the other side, West Forsyth (24-6) led by Maryland signee Jenna Staiti faces 24-5 Cherokee. The 6-foot-5 senior destroyed Newton with 35 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks.

Chiefs their first lead since 2-0, 54-51 with 4:11 remaining in the third. The Chiefs pushed the lead to 63-58 with 26 seconds left when Lowery gobbled up one of his game-high 15 rebounds and outletted a perfect ball to Washington for an And-1 layup; Washington exploding for 13 points in the quarter and a team-high 31 for the game. But of course, Gainesville, who had battled its own share of adversity all season long, quickly tied the game at 63 with a Dorsey layup at the buzzer after a steal. Simonds poured in 13 of his game-high 34 points in the final quarter scoring at will while attacking the rim. Gainesville edged ahead on consecutive baskets via Simonds, highlighted by a dunk making it 77-76. On the right block Lowery felt pressure in the post and kicked out to Kellum in the corner for a potentially momentum shifting threepointer making it 79-77 with 2:24 left, Kellum’s 12th point of the game. Gainesville tied it back up at 79. Washington streaked to the hoop and laid off a pass for Lowery for an easy finish regaining McIntosh’s lead at 81-79. Xavier Bledson picked up his team-leading fifth assist off the bench coming off an inbound to Michael White for Gainesville’s only three-pointer of the second half, the Red Elephants back on top

82-81 with 1:11 remaining. Washington snaked his way into the lane to snatch the lead back and after a Gainesville miss and a Lowery rebound, the big man was sent to the line for a 1-and-1 with 36.9 seconds left and McIntosh up one. Lowery nailed the first, but missed the second. Simonds quickly tied the game at 84 with 21.9 left, which eventually set up a McIntosh inbounds under Gainesville’s hoop with 5.2 seconds left. With Washington taking the ball out, Gainesville somehow lost track of Chase Walter in the corner. Walter darted into the paint as Simonds vacated the area to account for Lyons popping out to the top of the key. As he did that, Minor forgot to check his rear view mirror and Walter snuck in behind him, received the pass from Washington and stuffed in a twohanded slam with 1.1 seconds left while taking the foul from Minor, a gym-shaking And-1. The crowd erupted, the McIntosh players went nuts and sound of the whistle was not at first heard. As everyone tried to regain their composure to figure out what just happened, valuable seconds ticked off the clock during the chaos. The Red Elephants were left with just over a second left and saw Dorsey’s three-point prayer fall short, ending Gainesville’s season. Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman

CLASS AAAAA

CLASS AAAA

Battled-tested boys teams load the Class AAAAA quarterfinals led by No. 1 Miller Grove (27-2). The six-time state champs look to get back on the podium after being knocked from their perch by Warner Robins in the Elite Eight last season. This year’s team is led by UConn signee and McDonalds All-American point guard Alterique Gilbert. They meet 25-4 No. 8 South Paulding, who makes its first Elite Eight appearance in school history and is the deepest a boys team has ever gone regardless of sport. No. 2 Allatoona (29-0) is one of two undefeated teams left in the entire state, the other being AAA’s No. 2 Calhoun. No. 3 McIntosh (28-2) survived No. 6 Gainesville 87-84 on a Chase Walter and-1 dunk with 1.1 seconds left. No. 4 Cedar Shoals (28-2) is riding a 17game win streak into their match with heavy underdog Mays (14-13), who is a three-seed. Southwest DeKalb (25-5) and No. 5 Riverwood (29-1) remain dangerous. On the girls side, powerful Region 8 puts three teams through with four-seed WinderBarrow (24-6), two-seed Loganville (21-8) and No. 2 Flowery Branch (29-1). Sequoyah (24-6) enters unranked but held the No. 1 spot in the state for numerous weeks behind sophomore guard Alyssa Cagle and twin towers Kelley and Lauren Hartman. No. 1 Southwest DeKalb (246) is powered by senior Daisa Alexander.

BOYS Region 6 placed three teams in the top ten the entire season and for good reason as No. 3 Grady (27-3), No. 4 Lithonia (24-5) and No. 8 St. Pius (24-6) all crash the Elite Eight. The Golden Lions now meet with two-time defending state champion No. 1 Jonesboro (26-4) who ended their season in the Sweet 16 last year. Grady plays Westover (19-11), a surprise oneseed out of the deep Region 1. Fireworks should be aplenty as Lithonia takes on No. 10 Sandy Creek (21-7) led by Gardner-Webb signee Christian Turner and Elias Harden. Two potent offenses clash with No. 2 Liberty County (25-1) and Monroe (22-6). GIRLS No. 1 plays No. 2 on the girls side with Marist (28-2) tipping off against AmericusSumter (28-1). Dominique Oden will need to slow down the Lady Panthers’ A’tyanna Gaulden who averages 21 points, five rebounds, eight assists and six steals. Both teams have not lost to an in-state opponent this season. No. 5 Buford (24-5) looks to stop a red-hot four-seed, Arabia Mountain (20-10). Bainbridge (24-6) and Wayne County (24-5) square off to see the winner of No. 6 Carrollton (25-5) and No. 3 Veterans (25-4). The Lady Trojans fell in last year’s state title game to Buford, 35-34. Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman

Vol. 12 Iss. 7 | Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2016

This comeback athlete had a long road back. Today it’s 8.5 miles. Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

GHSA Basketball

Georgia Tech

The 2014 Falcons season ended with a DiMarco dropped touchdown pass that opened the gates to a 34-3 loss to the Panthers. The undrafted fullback, shook it off and worked his way into a Pro Bowler in 2015. DiMarco’s other honors included Man of the Year and now Pro Football Focus top 25 breakout players team.

The state quarterfinals are here! Time to make memories that last a life time as each team begins their march to Macon. The Peach state is once again loaded to the gills with talent. Whoever makes their way to middle Georgia will have earned it as there are no easy games in the state tournament.

The Yellow Jackets have reversed the trend of close losses with three-straight conference victories. The spurt started with a win over Florida State in Tallahassee and continued through the weekend with a 63-62 win over No. 19 Notre Dame. Finally, Georgia Tech evened the season series with Clemson with a 75-73 win on Tuesday.

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

Patrick DiMarco

SCORE LIST By Craig Sager II SPRING BALL

The 2016 football offseason is about to begin. Kennesaw State is scheduled to begin its 2016 spring football practice sessions at The Perch at the KSU Sports and Entertainment Park on Monday, February 29 beginning at 4 p.m. (ET). The annual Black and Gold Game is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, with additional information set to be announced at a later date.

MARCH TO MACON

Three days, seven locations, 56 quarterfinal matchups and 28 semifinal matchups set the stage for the final leg of our annual March to Macon. The fields in each classification are wide-open as reigning champions and surging newcomers are equally represented. Scoreatl.com and the AJC High School Sports page will have recaps and live scoring of all the action.

HAWKS

The Atlanta Hawks have come out of the All-Star break with three consecutive losses. A 102-92 loss to the Warriors on Monday was expected, but an overtime loss to Milwaukee on Saturday and the horrible 115-111 loss to the shorthanded Heat last Friday give the impression that there is something holding back last year’s Eastern Conference finalists as they plunge to 31-27 overall.

FALCONS DRAFT

Last year was pretty clear that the Falcons were going to take a pass rusher in the first round, after Jake Matthews was added to the offensive line with 2014’s first round selection. After going offensive line in 2014 and defensive line last year with Vic Beasley Jr., it will be interesting if the pattern continues or if Thomas Dimitroff, Dan Quinn and company look to fill different needs. The Falcons own the 17th overall pick.

GUESS WHO’S BACK

The Braves signed right fielder Jeff Francoeur to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training. The former Sports Illustrated cover boy last played for the Braves in 2009. Francoeur, 32, a former two-sport star at Parkview High and Clemson football recruit, played nearly five seasons with the Braves, including consecutive 100-RBI season before getting traded to the Mets

TOTAL DOMINATION

Three days after Jenna Staiti led West Forsyth to the program’s first-ever playoff win, the University of Maryland signee added another 35-point outburst as the Wolverines advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in history. Staiti added 20 rebounds and seven blocks to her game-high points. Twenty-three of Staiti’s points, 16 of the rebounds and five of the blocks came in the first half

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Norcross

Archer

Hawks

Heading into the tournament, the Norcross boys and girls were considered strong favorites to contend for the Class AAAAAA title, but the Westlake Lions closed the door on the Blue Devils’ hopes over the weekend with suffocating defense. Westlake upset the girls in a 39-37 defensive struggle and the boys handled Norcross 61-50.

After not losing to a Georgia opponent all season, the Archer girls dropped a pair to Peach State opponents in its last three games. The first defeat came in the Tigers’ 46-43 loss to Parkview in the Region 8 championship on Feb. 13. That resulted in the No. 2 seed Archer wore into tournament that ultimately pinned with McEachern, which dominated 87-49 on Saturday.

The Atlanta Hawks continue to struggle as injuries, inconsistency and questions shadow the recent slide. The Hawks have lost all three games since the All-Star break and have to deal with Tiago Splitter’s absence the rest of the season. Atlanta currently sits sixth-place in the East at 31-27 with New Orleans and Chicago only a half game behind.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall. Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

TRIVIA QUESTION

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME GEORGIA TECH BASKETBALL POSTED THREE STRAIGHT ACC WINS?

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

“

SANITY AT LAST

“I told Marcus [GeorgesHunt] at halftime `You know where you want to get to and where you want to bring this team, you’re going to have to do it at both ends this half.”

- Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory

State titles won by the Wesleyan girls basketball team

Points per game averaged by West Forsyth’s Jenna Staiti this postseason

Quarterfinal matchups slated this weekend

Semifinal matchups slated on Saturday

100.3

Points per game allowed by the Atlanta Hawks this season

Times the Hawks have allowed triple-digit points through 58 games

Undefeated boys teams left in Georgia (Allatoona and Calhoun)

Assists by Jada Lewis in McEachern’s 87-49 win over Archer

Vol. 12 Iss. 7 | Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2016

ON THE COVER

WWE ROYAL RUMBLE

STYLES PAYS HIS DUES BEFORE WWE STARDOM

KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

o wrestling fans, the Royal Rumble isn’t only one of the biggest pay-per-view events during the calendar year, but it is a place where some of the greats have made their mark. Triple H, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker and last year, Roman Reigns winning a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania after eliminating a record 12 men. This year’s Rumble, the 29th all-time, saw Triple H stun the crowd by entering as the 30th and last contestant, eliminating “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose. Aside from the veteran stepping out of the front office and capturing a shot to hoist the title belt, a new face – familiar to die-hard wrestling fans of all brands – made his long awaited debut in the WWE, Gainesville, Ga.’s own: AJ Styles. Styles entered the ring as the third man in but immediately made his presence felt, lasting nearly 29 minutes while eliminating Tyler Breeze and Curtis Axel and finishing as the 11th man over the ropes. Bringing in a long-time veteran of the craft to the world wide brand known as the WWE can only mean one thing: the sky is the limit the

38-year-old. Styles or as his family knows him as, Allen Neal Jones, began his pursuit of wrestling from a young age being born in Camp Lejeune, N.C. before moving to Gainesville. Styles fell in love with wrestling as a child during the WWF and WCW days along with his childhood friends. “I had a couple buddies who said they were going to be wrestlers and I told them if they ever found a spot and a place to train I’d go with them. Low and behold, they found one about 20 minutes from the house [in Cornelia] so well we got to go now,” explained Styles. “Went there, took a couple bumps and I realized this is something I could do.” He attended Johnson High School and says he is still very proud of where he got his beginning. “I went to all the county schools. I grew up in Gainesville, so I take pride in that,” stated Styles. “Gainesville might be proud of me, but I’m proud to be from Gainesville.”

MAKING A NAME

So how did the name AJ Styles come

about? He explained he got the moniker early on in his career while working in Georgia Championship Wrestling and it stuck. “Literally in my second match, they were giving me a tag team partner and his name was Damian Steele and so they said you know what? Everybody already called me AJ in high school so they stuck with that and they needed something to go with Steele so they came up with Styles and it stuck.” It has been a lengthy journey for Styles to reach the top. He had a brief run-in with the WWF when he appeared in two matches and was offered a developmental deal, but he ultimately turned it down since relocating to Cincinnati would interfere with his wife’s plans for college. From there stops along the way were highlighted by stints in the NWA in the early 2000’s before really gaining traction in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) where he performed for over 10 years and became known as one of the brand’s hottest stars, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles. There he built his resume winning two TNA World Heavyweight Championships, the TNA X Division Championship six times, TNA Legends/Global/Television Championship twice and TNA World Tag Team Championship twice, also holding the TNA Triple Crown five times. Styles left TNA in December of 2013 and began independent journey with stops in Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling before making his debut in the WWE at the Royal Rumble on January 24, 2016. “I think everything happened for a reason. Everything was preparing me for the WWE,” told Styles. “When WCW went under and WWE bought them out, I was with WCW and there was a chance I could get picked up and who knows what could have happened, but I don’t think I would be successful. I wasn’t ready for WCW and I definitely wasn’t ready for WWE. “I think the route that I took was the proper one. Going through the Indys, what not and Japan. I think that was very important to my career.” Styles explained how working in Japan was tough as he was thousands of miles away from his family. One of the major pluses of working with the WWE aside from being the face of the wrestling industry is that everyone there is family and they all understand that each wrestler has their own family at home and at the end of the day, the husbands, wives, kids and parents at home are what come first.

Joining the first class organization was moving into the penthouse “I went from the minor leagues to the major leagues.” THE BIG BREAK Dreams came true when Styles finally got the call that the WWE was picking him up and became even more surreal when he was told he’d debut in the Royal Rumble. “It was a hope for me. A hope that I would be in the Royal Rumble because I really didn’t know until the week before. It was great feeling knowing that I would get the opportunity and the reaction that I got once I got there was unbelievable that I’ll never forget.” Styles’ world tour has finally come full circle ending up in the WWE, but with superstar Daniel Bryan recently retiring due to concussions, one had to wonder how that affects his mindset. “Daniel and I have been friends for a long time… I had the opportunity to talk to him before he made his unbelievable, classy speech for the WWE,” said Styles. “Everything happens for a reason. He took it like a champ. Daniel Bryan is going to land on his feet, this isn’t going to stop him.”

HOMECOMING

AJ Styles makes his homecoming to Philips Arena on Tuesday, March 1 at 7 PM as a part of WWE Smackdown. Expect The Phenomenal One to receive the loudest pop when he is announced. Photos courtesy of WWE Corporation

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2016 9AM - 3PM ATLANTA FALCONS PRACTICE FACILITY | 4400 FALCON PARKWAY | FLOWERY BRANCH, GA 30542

THIS INTERACTIVE AND EDUCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES FORUM IS DESIGNED TO FOCUS ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TOPICS RELATED TO COACHING A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM AND DEVELOPING STUDENT-ATHLETES. COACHES WILL PARTICIPATE IN BREAKOUT SESSIONS AND HEAR FROM SPEAKERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS COACHING STAFF, THAT WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH NEW TOOLS TO CONTINUE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LANDSCAPE OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

THIS FORUM IS FREE TO ATTEND AND LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED. EACH COACH WILL RECEIVE A GIFT FOLLOWING THE FORUM FOR ATTENDING.

MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND: ATLANTAFALCONS.COM/COACHESFORUM

PREP SPORTS

ACTION-PACKED WEEKEND TO CONCLUDE MARCH TO MACON

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

hree days, seven locations, 56 quarterfinal matchups and 28 semifinal matchups set the stage for the final leg of our annual March to Macon. The fields in each classification are wide-open as reigning champions and surging newcomers are equally represented. In Class AAAAAA, defending boys state champion Wheeler was bounced in the first round by No. 4 seed Grayson 59-58. Grayson advanced to the Elite 8 with a 60-58 win over Lee County and faces a Newton team that sits three wins away from breaking a 52-year state title drought. Pebblebrook is a pair of wins away from returning to the state championship, where the Falcons fell to Wheeler in a 59-58 heartbreaker last year. The McEachern girls lead the AAAAAA field as they search for the program’s third straight state title. Class AAAAAA Player of the Year Te’a Cooper is now at Tennessee, but Chanell Wilson and Jada Lewis are playing at all-state levels. Wilson hit five three-pointers

for 28 points as McEachern crushed Archer 87-49 in the second round.

IN THE HUNT…

Class AAAAA’s defending boys champion Brunswick was beaten by Statesboro in the region tournament and failed to reach the dance, while the reigning girls champions (Stephenson) were sent home with a 53-43 first round loss to Creekview. Now, the Miller Grove boys lead a field of contenders after seeing their streak of six consecutive state titles was snapped last year. The girls’ field is split as Winder-Barrow, Flowery Branch, Brunswick and Columbus hunt for their programs first state titles and Southwest DeKalb (2013), Mays (2003), Loganville (1973) and Sequoyah (1971, 1994, 1996) look to snap title droughts. Jonesboro, the two-time defending AAAA champions, survived a championship rematch with Carrollton in the second round 51-50, but faces a dangerous St. Pius team disguised by

the No. 4 seed. Grady and Lithonia join St. Pius as Region 6 teams in the Elite 8. The Buford girls return to the quarterfinals as defending state champs where they’ll face Arabia Mountain. The Wolves won three straight state titles from 2009-2011 and have made the finals six of the past seven seasons.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME…

In Class AAA, the Jenkins boys and Laney girls became first-time champions a year ago and have made it back to the quarterfinals where they await their quarterfinal foes. Jenkins squares off with Calhoun’s athletic front-court and Laney faces a familiar Morgan County team as they look to beat the Bulldogs for the third time this year and fifth time in two seasons. Laney took their first meeting this season 78-69 and dominated the second tilt on Jan. 9 72-53. Defending Class AA boys champion Seminole County opened the playoffs with a finals rematch of its 76-71 win over Crawford County a year ago. The results this time, heavily favored the runner-up Eagles, as Crawford County dominated with a 95-64 victory. Crawford County awaits a must-see matchup with battle-tested Holy Innocents’ out of Region 6. Like Class AAAA, Region 6 in Class AA has three teams remaining (Holy Innocents’, Lovett and Pace Academy). In Class AA, Region 6 rivals Wesleyan and Holy Innocents’ appear to be on

course for another potential finals showdown, but quarterfinalists Heard County, Rabun County, Greater Atlanta Christian, Pelham, Model and Putnam County can prevent what would be their eighth meeting in two seasons.

SWEEPERS AND SLEEPERS...

St. Francis swept the boys and girls Class A-Private titles last year and both the boys and girls have made it to the A-Private final since its inception in 2013. The Lady Knights opened their playoff run with an 80-23 win over First Presbyterian Day and hold the top seed. If the No. 2 seeded boys can make it past St. AnnePacelli and the winner of Lakeview Academy and Whitefield Academy in the semis, either Stratford Academy, North Cobb Christian, Tattnall Square or top seed Greenforest Christian would still stand in the way of a three-peat. In Class A-Public, the Calhoun County boys broke an 18- year state title drought to take home its third state title last year, while the Taylor County girls snapped an 11-year title drought to take home the program’s 11th state crown. Taylor County wears the No. 3 seed as undefeated Turner County (28-0) leads the girls field. The boys field remains wide-open as No. 13 seed Lincoln County has proven to be a dangerous team as they face seven-time state champion Wilkinson County on Thursday. Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 12 Iss. 7 | Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

GEORGIA SUFFERS BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

hile the Yellow Jackets trend upwards, the Bulldogs continued their plateau back to .500 on Saturday with an 80-67 loss to Vanderbilt. The loss dropped Georgia to 14-11 overall and 7-7 in SEC play. This loss to Vanderbilt followed a 57-53 home loss to Florida last Tuesday and is the third loss in Georgia’s last four games. Damian Jones scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds leading five Commodores in double figures as Vanderbilt grabbed a big lead early and held on Saturday afternoon in beating Georgia 80-67. “We kind of just put our foot down,” Commodores guard Matthew Fisher-Davis told ESPN. “We’re kind of tired of teams coming back on us, so nobody got rattled and we just locked in on the defensive end.” The Commodores (16-11, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) on the other hand won for the third time in four games, J. J. Frazier led Georgia with 21 points, Yante Maten added 19 points and freshman Derek Ogbeide out of Pebblebrook

GEORGIA STATE

SOUTHERN NOT STATE BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ESPN2 was home to one of the Sun Belt’s newest and hottest rivalries, Georgia State (14-12, 1-10) vs. Georgia Southern (13-14, 9-8). The Panthers edged Southern 69-66 in overtime at the GSU Sports Arena back on Jan. 19, but this time, in front of a national audience, the Eagles held off the visiting Panthers 54-52, further dropping Georgia State in the conference standings. Mike Hughes canned four threepointers, including a rainmaking buzzer beater from 30 feet out to end the first half, on his way to a team-high 21 points. Georgia State, known for its lack of scoring, failed to but the ball in the hole again, making just 39.6 percent of their shots. Defense has been Coach Ron Hunter’s backbone and it kept the Panthers within striking distance as they held the Eagles to 34.7 percent. Isaiah Williams set a season-high with 22 points and Jeremy Hollowell netted 14, but outside of Kevin Ware’s 11 points, nobody scored more than two points, the bench add-

finished with 11 points. This game featured the SEC’s two best defenses and two of the top defenses in the nation with Georgia holding its opponents to a leaguebest 37.8 percent shooting with Vanderbilt just behind at 38 percent, good for seventh nationally. The Commodores penetrated the George defense and connected on 45.5 percent shooting (25 of 55) however, while holding Georgia to 38.1 percent (24 of 63). “It’s a great shooting team,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “They have a terrific low post presence. Probably offensively one of the most talented teams we’ll play all year.” The Bulldogs’ only lead was brief as Ogbeide netted a jump shot on the opening possession but the Commodores quickly took control. Vanderbilt answered with the next 10 points and grew the lead to an overwhelming 35-19 with just over three minutes left in the first half.

UP NEXT…

Georgia has four games left on the slate, the first of which sets up a Wednesday night trip to rival Auburn. Georgia beat the Tigers earlier this month at home 65-55 (Feb. 6). After their trip to Auburn, Georgia gets Ole Miss at home. The Bulldogs fell in a 72-71 heartbreaker at Ole Miss on Jan. 9. On March 3, the Bulldogs will have a chance to sweep the season series with South Carolina with a 7 pm tipoff in Columbia.

ing just three points in 47 minutes of action. Tookie Brown, a 3,000-point scorer at Morgan County and a 2014 state champion, struggled. The Eagles’ leading scorer finished with just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. “Once again our defense played outstanding, but we just could not get the baskets to fall when we needed them,” coach Hunter said. “If you hold a team to 25 percent shooting in the second half, you should come away with the win, but unfortunately that did not happen tonight. We will regroup and get ready to play on Saturday.” Down two with 21.4 seconds left, Georgia State had a chance to tie. A deflection off Georgia Southern left the Panthers with 9.1 seconds left inbounding the ball. Coach Hunter electing to ride the hot hand got the ball to Williams. Williams drove the lane and tried a floater but it bounced out and the Eagles were able to dribble out the clock.

TWO SPICEE

Georgia State has struggled greatly with its scoring, lucky for them they have Gainesville’s three-star shooting guard inked to come to Atlanta next year. D’Marcus Simonds, the explosive yet sometimes mercurial playmaker, saw his illustrious career come to an end on Saturday night as No. 6 Gainesville lost on a last second and-1 dunk to No. 3 McIntosh 8784 in the Sweet 16. Simonds went out in style, pouring in 34 points. Expect for him to make an immediate impact offensively in year one.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS TAB THIRD STRAIGHT ACC VICTORY BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

osing close games has plagued the Jackets over the past two seasons, but within the past week, Georgia Tech has reversed the trend with a trio of close victories and clutch finishes. The winning streak started with Florida State as the Jackets went to Tallahassee and left with an 86-80 victory last Wednesday. On Saturday, Tech battled past No. 19 Notre Dame 63-62 and this Tuesday pulled out a 75-73 victory over the Clemson Tigers. The win over Clemson improved the Jackets to 16-12 overall and 6-9 in conference play. Single digits have decided eight of Tech’s nine conference losses and the only game that was decided by more than nine points was Tech’s 66-52 loss to Clemson on Feb. 13, which was avenged with Tuesday’s victory. Georges-Hunt scored 25 points, including two free throws with three seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winners, and Georgia Tech came back from a secondhalf deficit of 13 points to beat Clemson.

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS TO OPEN SPRING PRACTICE NEXT WEEK BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ennesaw State is scheduled to begin its 2016 spring football practice sessions at The Perch at the KSU Sports and Entertainment Park on Monday, February 29 beginning at 4 p.m. (ET). The spring practices will be open to interested media. The annual Black and Gold Game is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, with additional information set to be announced at a later date. Head coach Brian Bohannon and the Owls are permitted 15 practices during the spring per NCAA rules. Kennesaw State will practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with one Saturday practice on March 5 in addition to the Black and Gold Game. “We’re excited. This will be our second spring practice in the history of the school and I think our kids understand the expectation level of what we’re doing which will help us really go in and really work on getting better at what we do,” Bohannon said. “When you look back

Donte Grantham hit a three-pointer for Clemson with 11 seconds remaining tied the game. Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory decided not to call timeout, and Marcus Georges-Hunt attacked the Clemson defense as he drove toward the basket. “It was more open than I expected,” Georges-Hunt said. “It seemed like us not calling a timeout, they were scrambling all over the place and I just took advantage of it. ... They gave me enough room to get a head of steam going. I just drove and tried to finish and got fouled.” Georgia Tech won three straight ACC games late in the 2013-14 season, but that streak included one ACC tournament game.

NEXT UP…

Three games remain on Tech’s regular season schedule as they look to gain ground in the ACC’s 15-team standings. The Jackets are currently sitting with Florida State at 6-9 with 10 teams ahead of them. Tech can begin to climb this Saturday as they visit Boston College, which is 0-15 in the conference this season. The next game sets up a showdown with No. 11 Louisville on March 1 and the season finale returns home for a March 5 clash with Pittsburgh. Tech lost 89-84 at Pittsburgh earlier this season and kept it competitive with Louisville in a 75-71 home defeat.

on the season there are so many things from a young football team that we could have done better, and I think the spring is going to be a great opportunity to really get better at all our skills and fundamentally get better.”

BUILDING FOR BIGGER…

Kennesaw State finished its inaugural season 6-5 and tied for fifth in the Big South Conference with a 2-4 mark. The Owls established Fifth Third Bank Stadium as a difficult place for opponents to play as KSU went 5-1 on its home field. The 2016 season will begin at Fifth Third Bank Stadium when Kennesaw State hosts back-to-back home games against East Tennessee State (Sept. 3) and Point (Sept. 10). The Owls will also host non-conference opponents Missouri S&T (Oct. 8) and Clark-Atlanta (Nov. 5) as well Big South Conference rivals Liberty (Oct. 15) and Presbyterian (Nov. 12). The season ticket renewal campaign for 2016 is currently underway and fans have until March 15 to renew their season tickets. The corresponding Owls Fund donation is due June 30. There currently is a waiting list for new season tickets. Availability will be determined after the March 15 renewal deadline with new season ticket sales taking place shortly afterwards. For more information please contact the Athletics Ticket Office or The Owls Fund at 470-578-6995.

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ATLANTA HAWKS

SAME OLD HAWKS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

osers of five of their last six games, Atlanta (31-27) has now slipped to second place in the Southeast Division thanks to its current three-game losing streak. The bad losses continue to pile up as Mike Budenholzer decided to stand pat aside from trading Shelvin Mack for Kirk Hinrich. The Heat (115-111), the Bucks (117-109) and the Warriors (102-92) all handed Hawks losses. On Monday Atlanta welcomed Golden State (50-5) to Philips Arena and didn’t put up much of a fight, falling behind 70-47 before a furious comeback saw the Hawks go on a 33-6 run, taking an 80-76 lead with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter. The Hawks couldn’t do much else however as the Warriors finished the game on a 26-12 run of their own to capture their 50th win of the season, the fastest team to do so in NBA history. Coach Budenholzer said afterwards that he hopes the 36-18 third quarter is something the Hawks can build off of. He better hope so since Atlanta has slid all the way to sixth place

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES SIGN FRANCOEUR TO MINOR-LEAGUE CONTRACT

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

ormer Atlanta Braves’ outfielder Jeff Francoeur has signed a minor-league contract with the hometown team that drafted him back in 2002. Francoeur, 32, agreed to a deal with the Braves earlier this week and has already accepted the accompanying invitation to spring training. The Atlanta native and former Parkview High School standout arrived at camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Wednesday morning. Since last playing for the Braves in 2009, Francoeur has bounced around between stints with the Mets, Rangers, Royals, Giants, Padres and Phillies. He started for the most part last year in Philadelphia and turned in his best season since 2011, batting .258 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. An impressive 2011 campaign in Kansas City saw Francoeur hit .285 to go along with 20 homers, 87 RBIs, 77 runs scored and a career-high—by a country mile—22 stolen bases. “He brings the good energy and he’s a great teammate,” manager Fredi Gonzalez told the team’s website. “We always talk about how

in the conference, missing out on home court advantage in the first round. Al Horford was a part of trade speculation at the deadline but remained anchored in Atlanta. He rewarded the Hawks with a 23-point, 16-rebounds, 6-assist, 5-block effort in the loss. Jeff Teague added 16 points and six assists of his own. Dennis Schroder remains stuck behind Teague but again outplayed him, scoring 18 points and collecting six assists in 18 minutes of play.

ANY HOPE?

By the game, it grows more and more obvious that last season’s Hawks were just a flash in the pan. Even with Budenholzer at the helm, Atlanta is no better than a middle of the pack franchise mired in mediocrity. Chances to change the franchise’s future were on the table with trade options available and cap space on the horizon, but instead Atlanta decided not to make any major moves. Schroder has proved he can be a constant NBA contributor, but Budenholzer continues to stunt his growth. Ish Smith, Nik Stauskas and a 2016 firstround draft pick for Schroder was rejected by the Hawks. Why hold onto him if he doesn’t get 30 minutes a night? Atlanta’s grip on the sixth seed isn’t tight either, holding on by a half game margin over Charlotte and Chicago. If Atlanta were to miss the playoffs, it would be devastating for morale and the city.

if we’re going to bring some of those guys in, those are some of the characteristics you want them to have. Who knows? We’ve talked a lot about him making the team. He had a great year last year.” The odds, however, may be stacked against Francoeur because Atlanta’s outfield is already crowded. Nick Markakis is the starter in right field, newly-acquired Ender Inciarte has the inside track on the job in center field and highly-touted Cuban Hector Olivero is expected to make the move from third base to left field. Veteran speedsters Michael Bourn and Emilio Bonifacio are slated as the backup outfielders. The Braves may also be forced to keep Nick Swisher around because he is an outfielder who can also play first base. With Freddie Freeman questionable for the start of the season because of a wrist injury, Swisher’s value is enhanced. FREEMAN UPDATE … Freeman suffered a right-wrist sprain and bone bruise last June, forcing him into a fiveweek stay on the disabled list. Hoping to playing in every game during this upcoming 2016 campaign, the star first baseman will take a cautious approach to spring training. “I just wish I could come in here and say I could be out there hitting right away,” Freeman told reporters after reporting to camp on Tuesday. “But I just want to ease into it. We’ve got a good plan. So we’re just going to stick with it and hopefully it puts me in the best position to play all 162 games.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

DIMARCO, SHRAEDER RECOGNIZED FOR BREAKOUT SEASONS BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

pair of undrafted Falcons were recognized for breakout 2015 seasons this week. Fullback Patrick DiMarco and offensive tackle Ryan Shraeder were named to the Pro Football Focus top 25 breakout players of 2015 list this week. DiMarco, an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2011 also caught the attention of many around the League, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in January. “The FB position is dying in the pro game, but the Falcons’ Patrick DiMarco is fighting to keep it alive,” PFF writer John Breitenbach said of DiMarco. “Skill position players who relish blocking are rare in today’s NFL, but DiMarco still falls into that category. The Falcons’ fullback led all players at his position with a 13.6 run-blocking grade, a marked improvement from the -2.0 grade he achieved in 2014.” Schraeder and his play throughout the 1,142 snaps he took was a big reason for the strides the Falcons’ offensive line was able to make, and Pro Football Focus noticed. The Valdosta State product clearly has

GHSA BASKETBALL

CLASS AAA FIELD REMAINS WIDE OPEN BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

n the boys side, No. 3 seed South Atlanta used a pair of 6-point road victories to set up a quarterfinal showdown with CentralMacon, which defeated Banks County 69-67 in the second round for the team’s 20th straight win. The No. 4 ranked Chargers rallied to win on a Derrick Evans buzzer beater, sending Central-Macon to the Elite Eight. Evans finished with seven points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Kentravious Jones posted a doubledouble with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Anterious McCoy exploded for 24 points and 10 rebounds. Rakwon Iverson added 17 points. The winner awaits the survivor of 2014 state champion Morgan County and 2012 state champion Laney. Morgan County already beat Laney 65-63 this year and last year ended Laney’s season in the semis with a 68-62 victory. Last year’s defending champion Jenkins matches up with Calhoun, which dominated the second round with a 71-43 win over Westside-Macon. An athletic and battle-tested Cedar Grove squad rounds up the boys quarterfinals with a

the potential to become a Pro Bowl tackle based off his growth in Shanahan’s system. “The Falcons’ improvement at tackle was a key reason they started the 2015 season so well,” said Breitenbach. “Jake Matthews improved significantly on the left side, but it was right tackle Ryan Schraeder who made the jump from average to very good. Despite taking the field for about double the snaps he managed in 2014, Schraeder allowed fewer combined QB knockdowns than he had the previous year. He finished 2015 with just two sacks, two hits, and 20 pressures allowed, culminating in the fourthhighest pass protection grade.”

TIGER TALENT

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has Atlanta selecting Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson in his latest mock draft. Lawson finished the 2015 season with 25.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. “The Falcons can’t go wrong adding more to the pass rush,” Kiper said. “Lawson is wellcoached and has more size to stay on the field and hold up as a three-down defender in either a 3-4 or 4-3 look, thanks to a versatile skill set.” Kiper had the Falcons taking a different Clemson player when in his original mock draft in January with defensive end Kevin Dodd. “It’s a slim difference,” Kiper said. “I think workouts are going to be important; that’s going to determine whether you’re a mid firstround pick or maybe a late first-round pick.”

matchup with Westside-Augusta and scoring machine Damontrez Hawes. Hawes carried Westside-Augusta in the first half of their 7959 second round victory over East Hall, where he netted 12 of his 16 points and helped Westside build a 32-21 halftime lead. Dekwan Lewis ignited in the second half for 19 of his gamehigh 23 points.

QUEENS OF THE COURT…

Juniors Alexis Pierce and Olivia Owens and sophomore Sy’Marieona lead the JohnsonSavannah girls into the quarterfinals, where Peach County (25-2) leading scorer Nausia Woolfolk (19.6 ppg) awaits. The winner faces either Morgan County or defending champion Laney. Aliyah Collier led last year’s championship Laney team but after graduating it has been sophomore De’Sha Benjamin that has stepped up and paced the Wildcats with 17.7 points per game. Last year’s runner-up Beach awaits 2008 and 2014 state champion Kendrick. Senior Brittany Thompson leads Kendrick with 18 points per game and she netted 23 in the Cherokees’ 66-59 second-round win over Sonoraville. The final quarterfinal matchup pins Jackson and West Hall. Jackson (28-1) has not lost to a Georgia team all year and survived a 79-71 overtime win in the second round with Hart County. West Hall carries a season-best 12-game winning streak into the quarterfinals. Anna Mckendree led West Hall past Washington County 60-48 in the second round with 32 points and six rebounds.

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